CBS said it would investigate allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Executive Leslie Moonves, putting him on the hot seat at the same time he is locked in a legal battle with the media company’s controlling shareholder.WSJ.com: US Business

Uber is ending its use of mandatory arbitration for claims of sexual harassment and assault, freeing U.S.-based litigants to sue the company in open court, rather than make them resolve disputes in private.WSJ.com: US Business

Last December, Salma Hayek penned a blistering essay for the New York Times, in which she accused former mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment during the making of “Frida.” She also claimed Weinstein threatened to kill her. “No to me taking a shower with him. No to letting him give me a massage. No to […]

In a Washington Post report published Thursday, Lauer’s former co-anchor Ann Curry said she approached two members of NBC’s management team in 2012 after a female staffer at the network told her she was “sexually harassed physically” by Lauer.

The NBC staffer confirmed to the Post that she went to Curry with her complaint, but remained anonymous because she fears retaliation.

“A woman approached me and asked me tearfully if I could help her,” Curry told the newspaper. “She was afraid of losing her job … I believed her.”

Curry said the woman implored that she not reveal her name to anyone and she obliged — but she did specifically name Lauer in her conversation with management.

“I told management they had a problem and they needed to keep an eye on him and how he deals with women,” she said. (PEOPLE has reached out to Curry and Lauer for further comment.)

Curry, who reportedly has a non-disclosure agreement with the company, declined to name the management officials she says she approached. An NBC spokesman told the Post the company has no record of her warning and said there was no mention of it in Lauer’s personnel file, noting that current NBC News chairman Andy Lack was not at the network at the time.

After barely a year co-hosting Today with Lauer, Curry, 61, left the NBC morning show in 2012 — the same year she says she reported Lauer. Her exit was a painful ordeal that came complete with gossip-column speculation that her firing had been due in part to a lack of “chemistry” with Lauer, 60, and amid reports that he had played a part in forcing her out. (NBC sources have told PEOPLE falling ratings were to blame.)

Curry told the Post there was “pervasive verbal sexual harassment at NBC” but that she understands reluctance to report harassment.

“This is one of the problems when we talk about corporations with an HR department being under leadership of someone who might or might not be accused,” she said. “How are they going to complain about it if they are accusing someone who is overseeing the department that is supposed to protect them?”

“Do you have a system that allows those who feel they have been victimized to air their complaints without fear they will lose their jobs?” she added. “I don’t know a company that does.”

“I have made no public comments on the many false stories from anonymous or biased sources that have been reported about me over these past several months,” he said. “I remained silent in an attempt to protect my family from further embarrassment and to restore a small degree of the privacy they have lost.”

“But defending my family now requires me to speak up,” he continued. “I fully acknowledge that I acted inappropriately as a husband, father and principal at NBC. However I want to make it perfectly clear that any allegations or reports of coercive, aggressive or abusive actions on my part, at any time, are absolutely false.”

SAG-AFTRA has released a “Code of Conduct on Sexual Harassment” instructing its 160,000 members how to deal with the issue. The union made the announcement Saturday night following a meeting of its national board. President Gabrielle Carteris and national executive director David White disclosed on Jan. 19 that the union was developing a such code in […]

As the uproar continues over sexual harassment in industries stretching from entertainment to media to finance, the fashion world has remained relatively on the sidelines – until now.
On Saturday, The New York Times published a long-rumored story about alleged harassment of male models by the photographers Bruce Weber and Mario Testino. Both men, via statements their lawyers gave to the Times, vigorously denied the allegations made in the story, although Conde Nast and Conde Nast International both said Saturday that they would be severing ties with the two photographers – at least for now.
The Times’ story comes several months after model Cameron Russell created an Instagram account on which anonymous individuals posted stories about their mistreatment in the industry. Last October, Terry Richardson was dropped by the leading fashion magazine publishers but only after years of allegations surrounding his behavior, while model Jason Boyce filed a lawsuit against Weber in December claiming the photographer harassed him. Weber has denied those claims, as well.
In November, 27-year-old British model Edie Campbell penned an exclusive letter for WWD to the fashion industry in which she said, “We operate within a culture that is too accepting of abuse, in all of its manifestations,” going

Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon and 300 other prominent women in the entertainment industry have launched an initiative dubbed Time’s Up aimed at protecting women who are facing sexual harassment in all sectors of the workforce. The plan includes a legal defense fund seeded by donations from affluent women and renewed backing for the “50/50 by […]

Matt Damon’s recent controversial comments on Hollywood’s sexual harassment scandal has prompted a petition for his cameo to be removed from Ocean’s 8.

At the time of publication, the online petition had nearly 18,500 signatures calling for his removal.

Citing Damon’s alleged involvement in an attempt to kill a 2004 story about Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual misconduct, the petition claims the actor’s inclusion in Ocean’s 8 would “trivialize the serious nature” of the allegations.

“Damon’s inclusion would trivialize the serious nature of the charges against sexual abusers like Weinstein — a show massive disrespect for the brave women speaking out,” read the petition.

Amid the mounting revelations of sexual harassment or abuse against Weinstein, The Wrap founder Sharon Waxman previously claimed Damon and Russell Crowe meddled in a 2004 story she was writing for the New York Times about behavior by Weinstein and the the-head of Miramax Italy, Fabrizio Lombardo. Waxman claimed Damon and Crowe called her “directly” to vouch for Lombardo. Her story was ultimately killed by the NYT.

Damon confirmed the call with Waxman to Deadline, but said Weinstein only told him that Waxman was writing a negative story about Lombardo and asked him to vouch for Lombardo professionally.

The actor has received criticism for his recent comments on the #MeToo movement. Late last week, Damon came under fire for suggesting that claims of sexual harassment should be viewed differently from allegations of sexual assault in an interview with ABC News’ “Popcorn with Peter Travers.

“There’s a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?” Damon said in the interview. “Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated, without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated, right?”

Spurred by the multitude of sexual abuse scandals, top Hollywood executives have tapped Anita Hill to chair the newly formed Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace. The commission made the announcement Friday following a meeting convened by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, Nike Foundation founder and co-chair Maria Eitel, Nina Shaw, and […]

In the past few months, a slew of powerful men — from Harvey Weinstein to Matt Lauer — have been outed as sexual predators. Though many may be shocked, the ladies of Saturday Night Live are here to tell you that this kind of bad behavior is nothing new.

“Hey there, boys. We know the last couple months have been frickin’ insane,” said Strong before Bryant chimed in, “All these big, cool, powerful guys are turning out to be — what’s the word —habitual predators?”

The catchy tune let guys in on a “secret that every girl knows” and addressed the harsh realities of navigating the world as a woman. As Bryant pointed out, “This ain’t a girl group. We just travel in a group for safety.”

The ladies also showed how women have been suppressed through history, featuring flashbacks to the Salem witch trials, the suffragette movement and the ’60s sexual revolution.

Leslie Jones then jumped in to remind everyone that “it’s like a million times worse for a woman of color,” to which they all agreed without hesitation.

“Now House of Cards is ruined, and that really sucks,” sang Ronan, referring to allegations against Kevin Spacey that led to the cancellation of his hit Netflix show. “Well here’s a list of stuff that’s ruined for us: parking, and walking, and Uber, and ponytails, and bathrobes, and night time, and drinking, and hotels, and vans.”

“A new survey finds that four out of five Americans believe sexual harassment is happening in the workplace. While one out of five couldn’t respond because their boss’ penis was blocking the keyboard,” joked Jost. “I almost forgot about this week’s batch of predators. It’s just a whole segment of the news now. I’ve just got to announce the names every week like Powerball numbers.”

“Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner is denying the sexual harassment allegations made against him by writer Kater Gordon who worked for him on the AMC series. While appearing at Chevalier’s Books in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday to promote his new book “Heather: The Totality,” Weiner sat down with fellow television writer and producer Jenji […]

With new allegations surfacing daily and once-respected artists falling from grace, Hollywood finds itself on edge amid a sexual misconduct scandal that has everyone wondering, “What’s next?” Going by the calendar, awards season voting is next. Ballots go out to the Screen Actors Guild’s nominating committee Nov. 16, and before long, critics groups will be […]

In the wake of ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, Judd has teamed up with Teen Vogue in a new video to help give tips on how to combat unwanted sexual advances.

“Inappropriate and unwelcome is probably my most favorite way of disrupting harassment as it’s happening,” she opened the video, explaining how the phrase can be used against street hecklers.

In another scenario, the actress demonstrated a more physical expression of “no.” She placed her hand in front of her chest, with her palm facing the camera, looking sternly at the camera as she declared, “STOP.”

Judd was one of the first actresses to come forward and publicly accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct — helping inspire over 50 women to do the same.

In the video, the Kiss the Girls star also recounted her own experience with the movie mogul, in which he allegedly asked her to watch him shower during a meeting in his hotel room, admitting that she was surprised in her own strength in that moment.

“I don’t know how I had the moxie to say no, no, ugh…no…no,” she said.

Judd stressed that everyone’s reaction to sexual harassment will be different — and that’s perfectly fine.

“Our bargaining strategies and things we do in these moments are normal. Anything we do in these situations is really OK,” she said. “Feeling safe is everything. That’s essentially what is taken from us when we experience sexual harassment and micro-aggressions.”

Judd also shared a series of verbal responses to uncomfortable behavior, explaining that women should trust their gut when a situation might feel off.

“You are ineffably powerful,” she said. “If it feels wrong, it is wrong. It’s really OK to say, ‘that’s wrong.’”

Judd has been outspoken about her alleged experience with Weinstein since coming forward in a New York Times article earlier this month. On Friday, the actress accepted the Truth and Power award at the Women’s Media Center Awards in New York City.

“We’ve been able to talk about how perpetrators are shameless and they put their toxic shame onto their victims and we internalize it and take it around with us,” she said during her acceptance speech. “Until we say wait a minute, that was never my shame in the first place I’m going to put it back where it belongs which is on the sexual predator.”

In response to the lengthy allegations made against Weinstein, a spokesperson for the producer said, “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”

Defy Media has suspended Andy Signore, SVP of content and creator of Screen Junkies and the “Honest Trailers” parody franchise, after multiple women have come forward to publicly accuse him of sexual harassment, including one woman who alleged that Signore tried to sexually assault her. April Dawn wrote in a Twitter post Friday that Signore […]

Some female startup founders speak up about behavior they say they encounter in the male-dominated venture capital industry, as a string of scandals prompt some in the industry to confront cases of impropriety and re-examine practices.WSJ.com: WSJD

An investigation led by the law firm of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will come to a head when Uber is lay out the details and recommendations of the probe at a weekly all-staff meeting.WSJ.com: WSJD

Uber Technologies expects to conclude a report soon on claims of sexual harassment and sexism that it hopes will close a damaging chapter in its history. But it also could bring even greater scrutiny for the troubled ride-hailing company.WSJ.com: US Business

Uber Technologies expects to conclude a report soon on claims of sexual harassment and sexism that it hopes will close a damaging chapter in its history. But it also could bring even greater scrutiny for the troubled ride-hailing company.WSJ.com: WSJD

Alec Baldwin faced himself on “Saturday Night Live,” but it wasn’t so very hard to do because he was playing two brothers from another mother: Bill O’Reilly and Donald Trump.

When those guys get together, can the topic of sex harassment be very far away? Baldwin’s O’Reilly discovers during the skit that one of his reporters isn’t on the scene — and no longer works for Fox News — prompting O’Reilly to ask: “Did she get the check?” The reporter’s disappearing act is a dig about recent reports of payments to at least five women to settle sex harassment accusations against O’Reilly. Other disappearing acts? Some 60 Fox News sponsors who no longer want to be associated with the “O’Reilly Factor.” That leaves a room for a commercial promoting “Dog Cocaine” on the “SNL” skit.

Baldwin’s O’Reilly finally ‘fesses up that he’s been the subject of some fuzzy complaints from women involving “exciting opportunities” he has offered. Fortunately, notes Baldwin, someone who is “unimpeachable on all female issues” has stepped forward to defend him.

Cue “Hail to the Chief,” and there’s Baldwin — again — on the other side of a split screen playing Trump. “I see a lot of myself in you, Bill,” says Baldwin’s Trump.

“O’Reilly” thanks “Trump” for saying that he “did nothing wrong,” even though it appears Trump doesn’t really know the facts of the case. He had a “loose hunch,” says Baldwin’s Trump. “I’m more familiar with this case than, say … health care.”

Ongoing complaints about misinformation and hate speech on the internet are forcing social-media companies to confront whether they need to take more responsibility for the content on their sites.WSJ.com: WSJD

Ongoing complaints about misinformation and hate speech on the internet are forcing social-media companies to confront whether they need to take more responsibility for the content on their sites.WSJ.com: US Business

Here is a valuable guide that saves researchers investigating sexual harassment in the workplace enormous amounts of time and money. Focusing on the hostile environment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Women and Sexual Harassment is a complete resource tool. In one easy-to-use volume, it provides a detailed background and history of the hostile environment claim as well as an extensive guide on how to use and where to find the best resources available on this topic. Unlike some legal books, Chan’s book does not require cover-to-cover reading to access pertinent information. Anyone, whether they are interested in the specifics of the hostile environment claim or sexual harassment in general, will be able to locate the information they’re looking for with the help of this handy guide. It saves enormous amounts of time, effort, and money for researchers by providing extensive listings and evaluations of statutes, cases, agency decisions, law review articles, annotations, and books containing information on this subject. Readers can use the book to get a better understanding of the hostile environment claim or use it like a dictionary to pinpoint the specific resources that will be most useful to their area of research. Women and Sexual Harassment is logically divided into five complete parts to make it easy to use: Part 1: Clearly explains how to best use the book to access specific information. Part 2: Describes the history and present state of the hostile environment claim in a manner that is to the point, yet is more thorough than descriptions of the claim found in articles, cases, or other sources. Part 3: Research guide-Directs researchers to the best sources for information, categorized by type and area. Includes tips that will save hours in the library and will help researchers find the most up-to-the-minute articles and cases. Part 4: Bibliography of primary legal sources-Covers statutes, regulations, and case law on the hostile environm

That’s the title of beauty blogger Em Ford’s latest YouTube video, a three-minute feature that’s about far more than lipstick and mascara.

Ford, a 20-something from London who suffers from adult acne, has been posting photos of herself without makeup for the past three months. In the video, she washes off her makeup to highlight the disturbing online harassment she faces. She includes a smattering of the horrible comments she receives on social media daily, like “ugly,” “revolting,” and “I can’t even look at her.”

She decided to share the video in an attempt to challenge societal preconceptions of beauty.

“Over the past few months, I’ve received thousands of messages from people all over the world who suffer or have suffered from acne, an insecurity or self confidence issues,” she wrote on her blog, My Pale Skin. “I wanted to create a film that showed how social media can set unrealistic expectations on both women and men. One challenge many face today, is that as a society, we’re so used to seeing false images of perfection, and comparing ourselves to unrealistic beauty standards that It can be hard to remember the most important thing — You ARE beautiful.”

The video has racked up over 400,000 views since it was posted on Wednesday.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Amid the costumes and fantasy of this weekend’s Comic-Con convention, a group of young women drew widespread attention to a very real issue — allegations of sexual harassment at the annual pop-culture festival.

Geeks for CONsent, founded by three women from Philadelphia, gathered nearly 2,600 signatures on an online petition supporting a formal anti-harassment policy at Comic-Con. Conventioneers told Geeks for CONsent they had been groped, followed and unwillingly photographed during the four-day confab.

Meanwhile, what Geeks for CONsent and others regarded as blatant objectification continued on the convention floor. Scantily clad women were still used as decoration for some presentations, and costumed women were described as “vaguely slutty” by panel moderator Craig Ferguson. When Dwayne Johnson made a surprise appearance to promote “Hercules,” 10 women in belly-baring outfits stood silently in front of the stage for no apparent reason.

Groping, cat-calling and other forms of sexual harassment are a larger social issue, not just a Comic-Con problem. And many comics and movies still portray women as damsels in distress. But Geeks for CONsent says things are amplified at the festival, where fantasy plays such a large role.

“It’s a separate, more specific issue within the convention space,” said Rochelle Keyhan, 29, director of Geeks for CONsent. “It’s very much connected (to the larger problem) and it’s the same phenomena, but manifesting a little more sexually vulgar in the comic space.”

“Comic-Con has an explicit Code of Conduct that addresses harassing and offensive behavior,” said Comic-Con International in a statement on Sunday to The Associated Press. “This Code of Conduct is made available online as well as on page two of the Events Guide that is given to each attendee.”

Earlier, Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer told the Los Angeles Times that “anyone being made to feel uncomfortable at our show is obviously a concern for us.” He said additional security was in place this year, including an increased presence by San Diego Police.

Keyhan’s focus on Comic-Con began with a movement launched in her hometown called HollabackPhilly, to help end public harassment against women and members of the LGBT community. She and her colleagues developed a comic book on the subject in hopes of engaging middle- and high-school students, which is what brought them to Comic-Con.

Costuming, or cosplay, is a big part of the popular convention, with male and female fans dressing as their favorite characters, regardless of gender. A man might wear a Wonder Woman outfit, and a woman could dress as Wolverine. Keyhan and her colleagues — all in costume — carried signs and passed out temporary tattoos during the convention that read, “Cosplay does not equal consent.”

In addition to the existing Comic-Con’s Code of Conduct, Geeks for CONsent wants the 45-year-old convention to adopt a clearly stated policy and says staff members should to be trained to handle sexual harassment complaints.

“It makes it feel safer for the person being harassed to report it and also for bystanders who witness (inappropriate behavior),” Keyhan said.

Toni Darling, a 24-year-old model who was dressed as Wonder Woman on Saturday, said the issue goes way beyond Comic-Con.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with cosplay or anything to do with costumes,” she said. “People who are the kind of people who are going to take a photo of you when you’re not looking from behind are going to do that regardless, whether you’re in costume or not.”

Still, she’d like to see an advisory in the Comic-Con program against surreptitious photography, and a clearer statement from Geeks for CONsent. She found some fans were afraid to take photos, even when she was posing at a booth on the showroom floor.

“The kind of behavior that needs to be modified,” she said, “is somebody taking a photo of you bent over while you’re signing a print.”